! Symbolism in Hole in My Life

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1 Common Core Standards Symbolism in Hole in My Life Concept: Symbolism Primary Subject Area: English Secondary Subject Areas: Common Core Standards Addressed: Grades 9-10 Key Ideas and Details o Determine a theme or central idea of a text and analyze in detail its development over the course of the text, including how it emerges and is shaped and refined by specific details; provide an objective summary of the text. o Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text. Craft and Structure Grades Key Ideas and Details o Determine two or more themes or central ideas of a text and analyze their development over the course of the text; including how they interact and build on one another to produce a complex account; provide an objective summary of the text. o Analyze the impact of the author s choices regarding how to develop and relate elements of a story or drama (e.g. where a story is set, how the action is ordered, how the characters are introduced and developed). Craft and Structure o Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in the text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the cumulative impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone (e.g., how the language evokes a sense of time and place; how it sets a formal or informal tone). o Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in the text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone, including words with multiple meanings or language that is particularly fresh, engaging, or beautiful (Include Shakespeare as well as other authors.) Symbolism: Common Core Standards 1

2 Symbolism in Hole in My Life Lesson Plan Overview: The class will explore the symbols Gantos uses throughout his memoir to develop the themes of freedom and confinement. Objectives: Students will be able to: Define symbolism as a literary technique Draw and explain connections between the themes of freedom and confinement and the symbols used to develop them Explain how certain symbols transform from representatives of freedom to limitation and vice versa Formulate arguments for why symbolism is a good technique for writers to employ Warm-Up Activity: Materials: Copies of Hole in My Life Handout/Workshe et on Symbols Whiteboard/Chalk board Projector Notebook paper Other Resources: Key Vocabulary Terms General/Comprehe nsion Questions Text References Ask the students to think of symbols they know. These could be literary examples or everyday examples. If they need some encouragement, offer some examples to get them started, such as the American flag, Shakespeare s wellknown reference to stars as symbols of fate, or a rose as a symbol of love. Give students a few minutes to each come up with a specific symbol that means something to them it could be a general symbol (such as a nation symbol) or it could be something that is personally relevant. Once they have thought of their symbols, ask them to share and make a list on the board. Short Lecture & Partner Activities: Symbolism: Lesson Plan 2

3 Symbolism in Hole in My Life Lesson Plan After the warm-up activity, go over the definition of symbol and some of its defining features: Symbol: In the simplest sense, anything that stands for or represents something else beyond it usually an idea conventionally associated with it. Objects like flags and crosses can function symbolically; and words are also symbols. In literary usage, however, a symbol is a specially evocative kind of image; that is, a word or phrase referring to a concrete object, scene, or action which also has some further significance associated with it: roses, mountains, birds, and voyages have all been used as common literary symbols. A symbol differs from a metaphor in that its application is left open as an unstated suggestion.* Symbols are usually concrete objects used to represent an abstract idea or concept. Introduce the themes of freedom and limitation that are covered throughout the memoir. Gantos is constantly vacillating between the feeling of unlimited freedom (9) and that of confinement and stagnation. For Gantos, it seems that the writing process, indeed his growth as a writer, is inextricably tied to the presence and his management of these two conflicting feelings. Ask the students to bear in mind these themes, especially as they pertain to the process of writing, as they complete the handout. Instructions for Handout: Have the students get into groups of about 3 or 4, or whichever number works best for the size of the class, and ask them to read the list of objects in the left-hand column and to consider how they might embody the theme of freedom or limitation. Make sure they explain their answers and provide page numbers for reference points in the spaces reserved for this. Then, have them consider whether or not the meaning or symbolic significance of the item undergoes any sort of change throughout the memoir. For instance, the significance of his car and high school seems to remain stationary. However, Davy s motel, his journal, the sailboat, and Gantos s prison cell do seem to undergo meaningful symbolic changes. Make sure the students note these changes in the far right column and cite page numbers for reference. They should have about 20 or 30 minutes to complete this exercise. Discussion Wrap-Up: After the students have completed the activity, bring everyone together again and compare responses. Ask the students to consider Gantos s use of these objects: did effective use of these symbols to perpetuate his themes, as well as develop his plot Symbolism: Lesson Plan 3

4 Symbolism in Hole in My Life characters? Writing Activities/Evaluations: Lesson Plan Analytical: Pick one of the objects from the class handout and write a short essay that goes into more de how Gantos uses it as a symbol. How does it evolve in relation to Gantos s growth and jour young writer and maturing character? Does it undergo any changes in the process of his jou Gantos make effective use of the object and its symbolism? What might he have done differ your response words and be sure to cite evidence and provide clear, thoughtful exp the points you make. Creative: Return to the symbol you chose in the warm-up activity. Write a short paragraph on exactly symbol means to you. If you d rather write on another symbol, go ahead. You might consid themes/feelings of freedom and limitation and think of objects you interpret to be symbols *Definition borrowed from the Oxford Dictionary of Literary Terms, edited by Chris Baldick. Symbolism: Lesson Plan 4

5 Symbolism: Discussion & Comprehension Questions 5 Discussion & Comprehension Questions Symbolism in Hole in My Life What is the connection between Gantos s car and his trip to Key West? What is his reaction, later in the narrative, to finding out that his car has been destroyed? How does Gantos feel about high school? What make sense about the fact that his high school is a converted prison? On pg. 3, Gantos confides, When I look at my face in the photo I see nothing but the pocked mask I was hiding behind. What is the connection between his penchant for picking his face and his imprisonment? What does the act of picking mean to Gantos? His journal is initially a place for him to put down his thoughts and practice his craft, and then it turns significantly against him? How does his journal turn against him? How is it both a symbol of liberation and confinement, and would you say that his journal/ship log, despite the trouble it ultimately gets Gantos into, is ever at any point in the narrative a truly negative thing? What is the connection between the anxiety of influence Gantos seems to experience at the beginning of the memoir and the act of writing in between the lines of the prison s copy of Dostoyevsky s The Brothers Karamazov? How are both points in Gantos s writing experience similar? How are they different? Think about the title of the memoir. Why is it significant? Having read the book, what do you think it means? Does it have multiple meanings? Many symbols permeate his work. Can you think of others besides the ones covered on the handout?

6 Symbolism: Key Vocabulary 6 Key Vocabulary Symbolism in Hole in My Life Word: Carom Definition: (verb) To collide and rebound; glance Mainline (verb) To inject (a drug, such as heroin) directly into a major vein Adrift (adj) Drifting or floating freely; not anchored; without direction or purpose Compulsion (noun) An irresistible impulse to act, regardless of the rationality of the motivation Masquerade (verb) To pretend to be someone one is not

7 Symbolism: Key Vocabulary 7 Key Vocabulary Symbolism in Hole in My Life

8 Symbolism: Text References 8 Text References Symbolism in Hole in My Life (p. 9): I was nineteen, still stuck in high school, and I wasn t living at home. I had unlimited freedom. No supervision whatsoever. I had spending money. I had a fast car. I had a fake ID. My entire year was a grand balancing act between doing what I wanted and doing what I should, and being who I was while inventing who I wanted to be: a writer with something important to say. (pp ): Then she sealed the deal while pointing out a few freshman rules.... and you have to dorm on campus for the first two years, and during that time you cannot have a car. I stared at her. I debated silently if I should tell her I loved my car needed my car and that I had been living on my own long enough to never want a roommate. (p. 39): Like every guy, I had read On the Road by Kerouac and wanted to cut loose and carom from coast to coast as he did without thinking of money or trouble or anything but the great freedom that awaited me like a ship heading to sea. I was looking for a change. I wanted to see something beyond high school and the King s Court and a grocery-store aisle lined with canned vegetables. And I was especially itchy to feel new things, to shed my skin and grow. I couldn t explain myself to anyone because I was only full of excited urges and notions and desires, kind of like the Hulk before he transforms. (p. 69): Count me in, I said, smiling. I ll go home and start packing. (p. 88): July 29: Another night without a breeze. Nothing to do. I tried to read, but instead of focusing my attention I became restless. I m tired of just sitting. I smoked some hash and then dove overboard. (p. 125): I opened another drawer. My books were where I d left them. But the ship s log was missing. Had I taken it with me? Had I lost it somewhere? I couldn t remember. (p. 59): Dostoyevsky has spent some time in prison. He wrote about it in House of the Dead. And I guess knowing that only encouraged me to use for my journal. I read the book first. Then I began to record my own lines between his lines. Naturally, his were better. But mine were mine, and it didn t take me long to find out I had plenty to write about.

9 Symbolism: Text References 9 Text References Symbolism in Hole in My Life

10 Symbolism: Class Handout Title Field: Class Handout Name: Think about the list of items below and what they are symbols of (freedom/growth or limitation). Some start out meaning one thing and come to represent something else as the memoir evolves. In the spaces provided, write what they start off representing, providing textual evidence, then write if you think they undergo a change, and, if so, explain their new meaning in the final column. Symbol car Initial Theme Change (y/n) Final Theme high school journal Davy s motel The Beaver boat prison cell

11 Symbolism: Supplementary Materials Chart Title Field: Supplementary Materials Chart Category of Resource Webpage Interview Description of Resource Shmoop definition of symbol Gantos appears on Wait, Wait Don t Tell Me Potential Educational Uses of Resource Provides a clear, pithy definition of symbol and provides examples of common symbols Gantos is humorous and candid about his past experiences, and the interview offers further insight into his decision to write the memoir. Link to Resource